Through the Ages -- ON HIATUS
by BookLovingPersonR.B.L
Summary: What if there was an ancient breed of creatures, so secretive and dangerous, that none have survived encounters, not even the original Primes? Thankfully, they have long since gone extinct...or have they? A single femme - the last known of her kind - is sent off Cybertron, to a small planet called Earth. Let's find out what trouble they get into. T because I'm paranoid. Please R&R!
1. Despair

**Through the Ages**

**Pre-movie**

**What if...there was an ancient breed of creatures, so mysterious and dangerous, that none have survived encounters - not even Predacons? Thankfully, they have long since gone extinct...or have they? A single femme - the last of her kind - somehow is sent off Cybertron, to a small organic planet called Earth. What side does she choose - if any? Let us find out...**

**A loud crash woke her from her slumber. Heavy lids swept back to reveal a world much different from the one she had fallen asleep in. A musty and damp - but warm - breeze swept over her large frame. She raised her heavy head and looked around, noting the changes that had occurred in her hibernation. **

**She had fallen asleep in a time where she was free to kidnap measly 'royal princesses,' and would set them free in exchange for gold and jewels. In the event she refused to release her captive, another measly human would come to 'fight' her, as if they even had a chance to defeat her. **

**As she grew from a youngling size of fifty feet to an adolescent of nearly seventy, she began to enjoy the fights. She began to capture multiple 'nobles' so multiple groups of knights would come, but all met their ends at her claws.**

**Though, there was one male by the name of Beowulf that gave her a nice scar on her chest. Her captures stopped soon after, as she did not want him to come again. Her hopes of meeting a nice, clean death were quickly destroyed as nothing had a chance of taking her down. **

**She had eventually turned to other, more...drastic measures to end herself. She had tried cliff-diving, diving at break-neck speeds, even taking on whole armies by herself, but all proved futile. Nothing on this planet could end her. **

**She had eventually given up on living, and resolved to end this once and for all by starving herself. Everything needs food to live, right? By not eating, she should wither away and die...or so she hoped. She hadn't died, but rather, slept in hibernation for millennia, waiting to be awoken...**


	2. Awakening

A loud crash woke her from her slumber. Heavy lids swept back to reveal a world much different from the one she had fallen asleep in. A musty and damp - but warm - breeze swept over her large frame.

Eyes adjusting to the light, she looked for what awoke her. Eyes landing on her treasure pile, she spotted a human male, much smaller than what she was used to. The human paused, sensing something unnatural stirring deep within the cave.

She glanced around, absently noting the huge size differences that occurred gradually during her hibernation. She stood unsteadily on all fours, and growled deep within her chest. The human paled and dropped the sword from his filthy hands, and it landed with a clatter.

She snarled in annoyance, and the pesky human squeaked and scurried out of her cave. She snorted in amusement, and laid back in her nest, satisfied she was once again alone, when a stray thought crosses her mind.

_How the Pit am I alive? I starved myself for...many years, and am not dead. Do the Powers hate me? What did I do to anger them so? How can I appease them? There must be a way..._

With that thought in mind, she heaved herself from her nest and to her treasure pile. She tilted her head thoughtfully, when inspiration struck. She grinned, knowing her treasure would soon be forever safe.

Rearing up on her hind legs, she pulled her lips back from her teeth. She reached down and gathered a small pawful of gold coins. Setting them out of the way, she continued her idea.

She turned to her even smaller pile of treasure, and spat a gob of throat mucus on the top. She reared up and pulled her lips from her teeth, inhaled deeply, and exhaled a torrent of pure DragonFire.

The pile quickly melted into a steaming puddle of molten gold. When she sensed it was reaching evaporation, she cut off her fire with a snap of her jaws. Closing her eyes, she carefully stepped into the pile.

She laid on her side, careful to coat all of her wings as well. She rolled onto her back, carefully coating the base of her skull, as well as her throat. Her 'bath' done, she stood, coated in drying black armor. Instead of being colored like the gold she melted, her armor was a deep black. She opened her eyes, and looked down at herself, and purred her approval. The rest of the pile now hardened, it was impossible to tell where the cave ended and it began.

Suddenly remembering the pawful of gold she set aside earlier, she padded across the hardened puddle and over to the tiny pile. She picked up the tiny coins in a paw, balanced a single coin on each talon, and thought carefully. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled a small but powerful stream of fire on the coins. They melted quickly, covering her black claws in molten gold. She repeated the process with the rest of her claws, and was equally amused with the resulting layer.

Her armor now complete, she was ready to face whatever the unknown threw her way. Midnight black armor with gold highlights on her claws, wing-tips, ear horns, and eyebrows, she was a dangerous sight to behold.

* * *

><p>AN: the intro is the same as last chapter, I know. I wanted it that way.<p>

Thank you to: TheGhost129, Whitelily Prime, optoclaw, and xXNapkinNekoXx for following!

Thank you to: TheGhost129, optoclaw, and xXNapkinNekoXx for favoriting!

Special thanks go to: NattenRaseri, Neon, and optoclaw for reviewing

* * *

><p>NattenRaseri: She does. It shall be revealed in time ^_^<p>

Neon: Chapters from now on should be longer!

Optoclaw: I will, and thank you!

* * *

><p>If I missed anyone, please let me know and youthey shall be recognized next chapter. Don't hesitate to PM me if you have questions!


	3. Feeding

She strode from her cave tunnel, head held high. Her black armor gleamed proudly, and gold highlights shone brightly in the sun. Bright yellow eyes sparkled, scanning the horizon. Eyes focusing on a small plume of smoke in the distance, she decided to head in that general direction.

Crouching on her haunches, she raised her tail high, and wings nearly straight up. Pushing her wings down hard, she launched herself into the air. Instinctively heading West, she flapped quickly to gain height.

* * *

><p>Gliding over a dense grove of trees, she growled to herself as she found nothing to hunt. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. She had been going about this all wrong! She was used to her smaller youngling body, not this larger yet agile body of a near-adult.<p>

In her youngling body, she possessed overdeveloped hearing, sharp eyes, but a very underdeveloped sense of smell. Now in her near-adult body, she had high hearing, even sharper eyes, and a very keen sense of smell. She finally figured out what she had been doing wrong - relying on the wrong senses. Drawing air in through her nose slits, she scented prey...something big. Flapping as quietly as possible to reduce noise, she landed near-silently in the undergrowth.

Creeping closer, she found she could not only smell it, but see it as well. It was a large deer, a male with large antlers. It was grazing, ears calm and posture relaxed.

_Not for long_, she thought. She crept forwards, tail swishing lightly through the air. When she was nearly a tail-length away, she lowered herself further, nearly touching the ground. Her muscles tensed, and her breathing slowed. With one swift movement, she pounced.

The deer never stood a chance. It's neck was snapped the moment she made contact, and she landed on top of it with a dull _thud_. She stepped back, taking a moment to examine her kill. _Not bad, not bad at all,_ she thought. Bowing her head in thanks for the life - giving meat, she eagerly ripped open the juicy kill.

* * *

><p>Licking her jaws to clean herself, she sighed, content after her starvation period. She had not been nearly satisfied with that single deer, she had to finish off the whole herd. She spotted a nice tree, with a nice dragon - sized niche for her to rest in. The smoke will have to wait 'till morning. I'm too tired to move far,/ she thought sluggishly, feeling the need to rest after gorging herself with the whole herd.

* * *

><p><em>Morning...<em>

Freshly energized eyes swept back to reveal alert eyes. She stretched, yawned, and lept from the tree. Sleek muscles rippled smoothly from the impact with the ground, and her paws left shallow pawprints in the leaf litter. Turning her head back, she examined her body for the first time since she entered hibernation.

Her black and gold armor covered every part of her body, as her treasure pile had been quite large. However, her armor was not completely solid, as she had hoarded several pawfuls of gems as well. They had somehow survived the DragonFire, and protected her vulnerable joints quite nicely. They didn't have the same sheen as they did in her pile, but that worked quite well for her, as she was a creature of the Night, and did not want to draw undue attention to herself.

_I need a name for myself, _she thought._ Why did I not think of this before? Who knows. Let's see...names generally describe oneself. Some I met were called Broadsword, LongBeard, and Axe. Broadsword fought with a broad sword, and gave me a nice scar under my eye. LongBeard had a long beard, and Axe used... an axe./_

_I am a creature of the Night, and I stalk my prey before I catch it. NightStalker... that shall be my name._

* * *

><p>Phew! I had to work hard for this one!<p>

Ok, answer time.

NattenRaseri: (ch. 1) Yes, this 'divine creature' has a name...now. Ya like it?

Neon: -hugs back- Answer in the reviews.

Neon: (again). Hmm...StarScream? XD Hey, do you have an account?

TheGhost129: She hasn't encountered the 'Bots and 'Cons yet, so she hasn't chosen a side.

* * *

><p>For some reason, I really enjoyed this one.<p>

Thank you: TheGhost129, Whitelilly Prime, optoclaw, xXNapkinNekoXx, Repenned, Br2nd66, and SlytherinChan for following!

Thank you: TheGhost129, optoclaw, xXNapkinNekoXx, Repenned, Skyress98, and SlytherinChan for favoriting!

Phew! I think that covers it! If I missed you, please let me know and I will fix it!

BookLovingPersonR.B.L. out!


	4. A New Friend

She launched herself into the air once again, clearing the treetops with little to no trouble. Keen eyes easily finding the smoke trail, she began to follow it to the source. The forest gradually thinned, trees giving way to dirt and grass.

Dirt and grass soon gave way to rocks and sand, and the smoke trail began to dissipate. She pushed herself further, not wanting to let a possible fight get away from her. As soon as she crested an oncoming ridge all thoughts of fighting left her, and her protective instincts kicked in. Laying on its back was a large creature, many times the size of a human. A big yellow and black creature, wounded.

She landed carefully on the crest of the crater, judging the injuries of the strange creature. It had a good sized wound to his - she assumed he - side, and a painful - looking tear to his throat. Glancing around for anything useful she found nothing, so she would have to improvise.

Warming the fire in her throat, she let it sit for a while, before turning it onto one of her wings. She held a paw beneath the dripping metal, catching it before it hit the ground. Letting it collect, she turned back to the creature before her.

She leaned closer to his side, and breathed a slight puff of flame. Not enough to melt his metal, but enough to heat it to the point so it would accept her metal. She brought her pawful of metal close to his side, letting it drip on the edges of the existing metal. He groaned, and shifted slightly. She would have to hurry before he awoke.

Her pawful ran out rather quickly, and she turned and melted the metal off her other wing. Collecting it in paw, she added it onto the repair she was applying. Paws now empty, and wound closed, she sat back to examine his throat.

She paused for a moment, then melted some metal from her tail. Letting it gather on the tips of her claws, she gently pressed it to his throat. He shifted again, eyes opening. They remained unfocused for a moment, then shifted to her.

He attempted to speak, but it came out as a hiss. She growled softly, telling him to be quiet, but not wanting to scare him. He blinked, then nodded slightly to show his understanding. Having finished the patch on his throat, she leaned back to admire her work.

He sat up cautiously, not wanting to anger the mysterious creature that had helped repair him.

::Bee to Ratchet.:: - B

::Ratchet here. What is it?:: - R

::...Not sure. Can you tell what creature this is? [image file attached]:: - B

::Hmm. What is the size ratio to you? :: - R

::Double me.:: - B

::Are you toying with me?:: - R

::Uh, no. Why?:: - B

::Have you forgotten the tales I used to tell when you misbehaved?:: - R

::Uh, which ones?:: - B

::The ones about the Predacons' ancestors. The Dracons. They would come to the houses of misbehaving sparklings and eat them for dinner.

::Uh, why are you reminding me of a sparkling's tale?:: - B

::Because I believe you have found one.:: - R

::But I thought they were just stories?:: - B

::As did I. Now, can you tell me what she - I think it's a she - has done so far? Has she been aggressive towards you in any way?:: - R

::Uh...only slightly. I was slightly injured upon impact, and she seems to have repaired it - or attempted to. I tried to move when she was working on my throat, and she growled to keep me still.:: - B

::Are you sure that's it? Nothing else?:: - R

::I'm sure, Ratchet. How should I interact with her?:: - B

::Be respectful. If she aims to attack you, try to distract her - perhaps a bribe, like an offer to help hunt, or something of that nature. :: - R

::Thanks for the tip.:: - B

::Hmph. Don't mention it. If things remains calm for you, Bee, you may just have the world's best guardian.:: - R

::Were - are - the Dracons really powerful enough to take down a Prime?:: - B

::I am...unsure. I believe so.:: - R

::Thank you. Next contact in five years?:: - B

::Unless something changes.:: - R

::Comm. you then.:: - B

Optics refocusing on the Dracon, he found a slight dilemma. She was curled around him, with one wing covering them both. Smiling slightly, he offlined his optics and began shutting down his systems for recharge.

* * *

><p>Phew! I had issues with this one! I am on a two-week trip with family, and no computer. Updates will be very slow, the next one will try to be up in two weeks.<p>

Neon: ah, I understand. Oh well, that's fine. Having an English teacher for a mom, and a love of books never fails me!

Ok, from now on, I am going to reply via PM, with the exception of my guest reviewers. As I am on mobile, it is very difficult to respond to reviews. Thanks for understanding!

* * *

><p>Ok, things will be picking up next chapter!<p> 


	5. New Language, Old Wounds, and New Loss

**"Cybertronian"**

_Thoughts_

::Comm-Link::

* * *

><p>Ugh. I don't really like this one because I struggled with it. I do like that it is the longest yet! Ok, Review Responses:<p>

Neon: [So is she having these sparks of maternal instinct with young Bumblebee? Cause that would be the cutest, please say yes, and update soon :) ]- Not quite, more like shadows of maternal instincts. She wants to care for him, but doesn't know why. She will leave him for reasons in the next chapter, but will be reunited with him. I will try to update soon, but as I said before, it will be a wait.

TheGhost129: [Awww]- Thanks!

Thanks to all my followers, favoriters, and reviewers!

* * *

><p>Like I said last chapter, they separate Don't worry, it isn't permanent. Don't expect the next one to be very good, or very long. I won't write the first half of the movie out, but will skip to the part of Bee and NightStalker being reunited. How does that sound?<p>

Ok, onto the story!

* * *

><p>Bee awoke to something gently nudging his servo. He onlined his optics, and saw his mythical companion standing over him, appearing concerned. Seeing he was awake, she leaned back on her haunches and gestured for him to rise. The Cybertronian rose unsteadily, internal systems automatically adjusting to the gravity of Earth. Now at full height, they were about eye level; her leaning on her haunches, and he on his pedes.<p>

She hummed softly and leaned forward, examining her work on his throat. The black gold had turned back to the normal color since she had remelted it, and she could only tell where her work ended and his uninjured throat began because of the slightly different colorings. Apparently satisfied, she nodded to herself and turned to inspect his side, dropping to three legs - three for balance and one to inspect. She prodded it gently with a single talon and when he didn't flinch, she flicked a talon hard enough to get both a sound and a flinch from Bee. She leaned back on her haunches, humming quietly to herself. It was not one Bee recognized, but given that she was many hundreds of years older than him - and from a different planet - he wasn't too surprised.

While she was occupied with... whatever she was doing, he accessed the World Wide Web and found a car suitable for his frame - a Camero. Sending the files to Ratchet, he soon received an affirmative on his choice. Glancing over at his companion - who was silently observing him - he downloaded the files and transformed into his new alt. mode. All was silent for a moment, until she dropped smoothly into a crouch, talons digging into the sand and lips drawn back to reveal deadly fangs ready to puncture armor. Not daring to provoke her further by moving, Bee opted to remain completely still. For about three minutes her hissing continued, when suddenly it stopped. Lips slowly over fangs; tense muscles relaxed marginally.

Slowly moving forwards, she circled him, scenting the air constantly to make sure it was him. Her circle complete, she sat in front of him and gently nudged his hood with her muzzle. He transformed, but slowly enough that she could see what was going on and didn't freak out...again. She leaned back slightly, observing the process. Transformation now complete, she mulled over this new information. Her...friend...had not one, but _two_ forms, and could switch between the two easily. Briefly she wondered if she could do the same, but pushed it aside. _Impossible,_ she thought. _He is of metal and non-blood, and I am of scales and silver-blood. We are too different,_ she realized.

Pushing her thoughts away, she refocused on her friend...to find he had transformed again, and was moving away. _Oh, you want a race, do you?_ She dropped down smoothly into a crouch, and in one swift motion, she leapt into the sky. _It is ON!_ Pulling out of her swift incline, she leveled out for a moment, then dove to fly level with him. Letting out a roar of pure joy, she swerved so she was right above him, and made sure her wingtip didn't clip him on her downstrokes. He pulled forward for a moment, then she overtook him quickly. A dangerous idea crossed her mind, and she smirked to herself. Turning to the left, she folded her wings and let herself free-fall for a moment, until she hit the desert ground. Pushing off with her rear paws, she quickly regained her balance and landed on her front paws. Pushing off again, she gained speed quickly, and within mere seconds, was keeping pace with her friend. Bee revved his engine, happy to have someone to race with.

* * *

><p>All too soon, they reached the edge of the desert at nightfall. Bee slowed to a halt, and his companion skidded next to him, showering the earth with dirt and stones. Panting heavily, she glanced to him for an explanation. He released a heavy vent, and crouched to her level.<p>

"Ah...can you understand this language?" He asked in English, believing her to understand it. After all, it was the dominant language of Earth. However, she just tilted her head and stared blankly at him. He tried again in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Swedish, and even Polish. None worked. He was on the verge of giving up, when a thought crossed his mind. If her kind was from Cybertron, why couldn't she understand Cybertronian? He repeated his query once more, and got a slight nod in understanding.

**"Can you understand the meaning behind my words?"** He rephrased his question, as Cybertronion was quite hard to learn, never mind speak. She nodded again, wondering where he was going with this. He nodded to himself, trying to phrase what he wanted - no, needed to say.

**"I do not want to, but I need you to leave. "** She growled and narrowed her eyes, not wanting to leave her first - and only - friend in this large territory.

**"No wait, please just listen. I need to finish what I'm saying. "**When she tilted her head slightly, Bee took that as permission to continue. **"I was sent here on a mission, and missions take priority over anything and everything. Even friendships."** She snorted slightly and sat down, waiting for him to continue. **"Like I said before, we need to split up, but not for the reasons you might think. Have you interacted with the dominant race of this planet - the humans?"** As he spoke, he pulled a holo-projector from his subspace, one that would project a human. He turned it on and showed it to his friend, and let her examine it. **"Past this point, there are huge numbers of these humans. If they see something that is bigger and more powerful than them, they will panic and call the high-up humans on you. The high-up humans will call in machines that will capture and really hurt you. I don't want to see that happen to my only friend here. Can you understand what I'm saying?"**

NightStalker reared up on her haunches, coming to optic-level with the scout. She opened her mouth, and in a soft - but strong - voice said, **"Yes. I understand, but do not wish to. Your reasoning is sound, but why do you not simply abandon this 'mission' and stay to play?"** A smile tugged at the corner of his faceplates; she was like a youngling simply wanting to play. He smiled sadly, then continued.

**"My race is near dead, and this mission is to try and keep it alive. When my mission is over, can we play again?"** She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, then refocused on him. **"If you do not meet me here within three season-cycles, I will come find you. Deal?" **Bee hummed thoughtfully, then spoke. **"Would you permit six cycles? Tracking a single human amongst several billion is quite a task. "**

**"Five. Final answer. I will come to you, even in the middle of a...human dwelling. No longer, no less. Agreed?"  
><strong>**"Agreed."  
><strong>**"Then let us blood-bind."** She placed her paws together, and wedged a single talon beneath the plating of her right paw. Letting the silvery substance collect in her palm, she glanced up at her friend and waited for him to do the same. Subspacing the holo-projector, he exchanged it for a small dagger. Drawing it lightly across his right servo, he waited for her to tell him what to do next. She said nothing, but simply leaned foreword slightly and grasped his servo within her paw, letting their fluids mix. Within mere astroseconds, Bumbleebee's mind was filled with thoughts, sounds, sights, and memories - but most importantly, he could feel her _fear_. She was terrified of bring completely alone on a strange place, with no one to turn to. Bee somehow reached out and mentally 'hugged' her, letting her know she had a friend here. She leaned into his 'embrace,' comforted by the fact that he would never willingly abandon her.

While they were exchanging comforts, neither of them noticed information being exchanged both ways. From NightStalker came how to survive in a fight with extremely slim chances of winning, and from Bee came information on Cybertron, the Cybertronian language, and of his teammates. They only became aware of each others' names when they broke contact.

**"Fare-well, NightStalker. Until next time, and until all are one."**  
><strong>"Fare-well, Bumblebee. Remember, if you do not return within five seasonal cycles, I will track you down. Until all are one."<strong> With that, she launched herself backwards, turned, and flew off out of sight. Bee commed. Ratchet, Ironhide, Prime, Jazz, and the rest of the known Autobots.

::I have an early status update.:: - B  
>::Received. What is your update?:: - O.P.<br>::The Dracon and I have split ways. I decided she would cause mass panic within the human cities, so she agreed to leave, on the condition I return within five orbital cycles, or she will come find me.:: - B  
>::A wise move on both your parts. Do you know how she will track you?:: - O.P.<br>::I believe she will either track me by energy signature or by scent. She appeared to be of slimmer build, like that of a tracker, but she was powerful. She kept up easily when flying, and also kept pace with me on foot at my top speed.:: - B  
>::Highly impressive. I understand how her kind was once the most powerful on Cybertron.:: - O.P.<br>::Ratchet, she also appeared to have scarring on her chest, though it did not appear to bother her. :: - B  
>::Understood. I want to take a look at her when we arrive.:: - R<br>::One more thing...I did a light scan, and found something...interesting. Transmitting results now. [Medical Scan File attached]:: - B  
>::...I see. It is appreciated, Bee. Until all are one.:: - R<br>::Until all are one. - B

* * *

><p>Please don't kill me! I didn't want to separate them, I promise!<p> 


	6. Old Friends, New Ally

...I have no excuse for the lateness of this chapter. My apologies for keeping you all waiting, and great thanks for sticking with me!

::Comm.::  
><em>'Bee's radio-speak'<br>_English  
><strong>Cybertronian<strong>

On with the story!

* * *

><p>NightStalker lifted her head from her paws, sensing a change in the wind. Casting out her senses, she sensed a vast power moving swiftly. She felt oddly...<em>drawn<em> to it - like it was calling to her from far away. She looked at her forearm where she had made a single line per day since her departure from Bumblebee. It had been five solar cycles exactly.

Grinning to herself, she reached for the energy signature of Bee, and was pleased to find they were in the same direction. This way, she didn't have to disobey any instincts - be it to Bee, or the power. Pulling herself to her paws, she was pleased at the changes that had occurred over the five cycles.

Her claws were tougher, her wing arms stronger, and her eyes sharper. She had grown much, as she got little to no nourishment when he tried to starve herself - now she was feeding regularly, she more than made up for the missed food. Her body had filled out more, and her eyes and armor had a healthy almost-glow to them; a sure sign of near-perfect health. They had gleamed when she had been awoken, but that was because they were fresh, and she was reacting more on instinct than logic.

Crouching low to the ground, she tensed her leg and wing arms, and pushed off. Her takeoff was flawless, having spent years on perfecting it. NightStalker grinned happily to herself, excited at finally being able to see her friend after five long solar cycles of waiting. Clearing her mind of everything save his energy signature, she focused on one of her favorite ways of tracking.

Closing her eyes briefly from her world of dull browns and pale blues, she reopened them to a world awash with colors. Brilliant blues, deep reds, vibrant yellows, and deep purples flooded her vision. Instead of simply smelling scents, she could _see_ them.

Locating the one she was searching for, she followed his brilliant yellow trail, and quickly flew many miles ahead of him and his group, sensing they would follow the road. She slowed to a stop and landed gracefully on the center of the road, sitting down to wait. She did not have to wait long.

* * *

><p>Sam Witwickey was having a bad week. His car was an alien from another planet he had been taken by Sector Seven's agents - with his car confiscated - and to top it all off, he and his girlfriend Mikaela were running from NBE-1 - AKA Megatron - with the rest of the 'Bots in tow.<p>

The radio crackled suddenly and turned on. _'Do you remember when ~ I told you ~ I had a ~ friend here?'_

"She was a powerful creature, you said. But what does that have to do with our current situation?"

_'Look ahead, ~ on the road.'_

Glancing out the front window, he saw a faint shape on the horizon. Looking closer, it appeared to be getting bigger. _'Before we split ~ she gave me ~ five years before she ~ would come find me. It has been a week ~ since her deadline, and she has ~ found me.'_

The shape grew steadily closer, and Sam could see that her size rivaled Optimus Prime's. She appeared powerful and dangerous, like a barely contained storm. _'She has ~ grown much since I ~ last saw her.'_ Sam could now see that she was a black dragon, with gold markings on her paws and chest. The wing joints were covered with sparkling jewels, as well as her shoulders. The dragon - shaped creature stood, and let out a loud screech of welcome.

The hair on the back of Sam's neck stood up, signaling a flurry of comm. messages.

::Prime, we have one unknown ahead.:: - I

::Acknowledged, Ironhide. Jazz, does this creature have a match in your department?:: - O.P.

::Negative, boss bot. No known scans exist. Hey Bee, didn't you say something about a friend here?:: - J

::It's her! She said she'd find me, and she did! It's her - NightStalker!:: - B

A chuckle sounded over the comm., but no one knew who it came from, and the conversation continued.

::It seems we have a powerful ally. Primus knows we need one.:: - J

::Agreed. Bee, does she know anything of the English language? I want to tell her I want to do a light medical scan.:: - R

::Negative. However, she is fully fluent in Cybertronian. She also understands Nordic, but cannot speak it.:: - B

::How...? Never mind, tell me later. Bee, will you tell her of my request?:: - R

::Sure thing.:: - B

The 'Bots slowed to a halt and transformed in a loose semicircle, with the dragon in the center. She glanced around at the 'Bots as if assessing those around her, when her gaze landed on the Prime and she let out a growl. The 'Bots tensed at the threat to their Prime, then the static increased with the flurry of comms. that were flying around.

::Easy, she is only challenging his authority. She is making sure he can handle being her alpha, and that she can trust his judgement. She will not kill him, not severely harm him. Prime, try not to injure her too badly. We need her assistance for facing Megatron, and if you beat her too badly, she will see you as a cruel alpha. This is a one-on-one only - no assistance to either the challenger or the challenged. Prime, you have to beat her in this. This is how you prove to her that are worthy of her trust. :: - B

::...thank you for the information, Bee. I do not like having to fight her, but I will do so if necessary.:: - O.P.

::It is.:: - B

Prime moved forward, closer to his challenger, a low growl coming from his chest. NightStalker snarled, signaling the start of the fight. Racing towards her target, she leapt and at the right moment, she extended her claws and aimed for his neck. Prime side-stepped her attack, and responded with a swift blow to her ribcage. He was aiming to hinder her, not harm her. She landed heavily on her back, and took a moment to stand on her paws. Standing at full height, she screeched for him to begin the next round.

Prime lunged, aiming for her shoulders. With a single jump, he knocked her from her paws and pinned her to the ground, careful not to crush her wings. She grumbled slightly at her defeat, but what she had seen in those few short moments had proven that this Optimus - she knew his name from Bee's memories - was a fair and kind leader, and he did not fight underhandedly. She turned her head to look up at him and nodded, accepting her new alpha. Prime nodded back, acknowledging his victory, but not gloating. He rose to his pedes and looked to Bee in thanks. NightStalker stood, keeping her head below his in a form of respect. Bee clicked and chirped, gaining NightStalker's attention, and she churred lightly in response.

**"NightStalker. Our medic wants to take a look at you."  
>"Which one is he?"<br>"The green and red grumpy one - the one who has his arms crossed and one pede tapping."  
>"He wishes...to make sure I am healthy? Why? I can tell him I am completely healthy, and it would be the truth."<br>"He starts throwing things if someone refuses to see him..."  
>"...I see. Thank you for telling me."<strong>

NightStalker turned to the aforementioned medic, and sat patiently in front of him. Ratchet pulled a deep scanner from subspace, turned it on, and circled her. When the scan was complete, he grumbled at the results, but read them aloud so the 'Bots knew about their ally's strengths and weaknesses. _Heavy scarring of the chest, neck, and abdomen. Deep scar from base of neck to above power core. Likely vulnerable point. __Slight scarring of the face, forearms, tail, and wings. Strengths: very thick armor on the chest, arms, tail, and neck. Very strong gems on her wing and shoulder joints. Weaknesses: Weak armor on the head, throat, and wings. _The scanner listed some other medical mumbo-jumbo that Ratchet didn't even bother to read aloud. He reached the bottom of the list, when something interesting caught his eye.

He sent a quick comm. to Bee with a note about the interesting development, who nodded confirmation. He also sent a ping to Prime, signaling they were ready to continue their journey. The 'Bots transformed and resumed their journey, with NightStalker flying high overhead. They knew that no matter what happened, they would stick together, Until All Are One.

* * *

><p>Again, I have NO excuse for this being so late. Sorry about the stupid wait. Hey Neon, NightStalker actually sees Bee as a younger brother, as she wouldn't have let him out of her sight if she felt the stirrings of motherly instincts. She sees Prime as an alpha, Ratchet as an equal, 'Hide and Jazz almost like big brothers, and Bee like her little bro. ^_^ Hope you enjoyed, and please be patient with me - real life is being stupid, and I won't be able to update regularly (Like I did before? XD ). Anywhoo...I SHOULD be updating more with the new school year, but no promises. I hope I won't make you wait as long this time!<p> 


	7. Finally, some action!

The journey to Mission City was thankfully short, and uneventful—for the most part. NightStalker had to fly above the clouds to avoid mass panic from people seeing her flying form. Prime tackled Bonecrusher and they rolled off the highway. NightStalker wanted to assist her 'Alpha' but his second (-in-command?) refused.

The civilians were already cleared from the city, which made it that much easier for the "'bots versus 'cons" battle that was sure to come. It wasn't long before they reached the heart of the city, where Megatron and his forces arrived soon after.

NightStalker landed and barely took two seconds to fold her wings, when an odd metallic armor plate suddenly covered both wings with a soft _snick_. She shrugged to herself and took on both Starscream and Barricade, leaving the rest of the 'cons for the 'bots to handle. From her mouth, she shot a burst of fire straight into Starscream's chest, knocking the breath from him. Ducking under a swipe from behind courtesy of Barricade, she whirled around to face him, not giving him the proper time to react as she returned the blow to his hip-joint. Starscream fired his blaster at her helm too close for her to dodge in time,and it left her dazed. Barricade took the opportunity to smack her helm around—back and forth between himself and Starscream—and now _she_ was the one with no time to recover.

Ironhide saw her dilemma and promptly fired one of his favorite cannons at Starscream, who happened to be one of his favorite punching bags. Quickly nodding her thanks, she shifted back to the offensive as she fell to all four feet and began stalking around Barricade who began to match her footstep for pedstep as they circled one another, neither willing to make the first move just yet.

Meanwhile, Mikaela was hot-wiring a pickup, preparing to tow Bee, whose legs were now smashed, back into the heat of the battle.

* * *

><p>Sorry about this being so short...but, better something than nothing, right?<p>

A big shout-out to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favorited this story! Thank you all! Special thank-you to J.T.'s A.X, my awesome beta!

I am planning to have the next one up in about three weeks, but with school and sports, you never know.

Again, I am so sorry this is so stinking short, but it's what i've got.


	8. Devil Medics

A/N: Watch out, a certain Seeker and a grouchy mech have mouths that need to be washed out with solvent. XD

Ok. School has been awful, and homework has been a nightmare. Grades are more important than writing, unfortunately. Add uncooperative plot bunnies who decided to run off, and you have a very nice mess. Thank you, writer AssassinSasha15 for reminding me to get a move on updating! Unfortunately for all of us, updates will take quite a while to be written. I am actually considering putting all my stories on temporary hiatus until I hunt down and strangle my plot bunnies. I really hate to do this, but I don't like keeping my readers and my awesome beta (J.T.'s A.X!) waiting, if they can be putting their time and efforts toward something else. :( Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter, because I don't even know when the next one will be out. Sorry, everyone!

Neon: Thank you for your support! I don't even have words for how thankful I am for your continued support!

To all of my readers and reviewers: I am really really sorry on how long this thing is taking! RL has not been gracious in giving me enough spare time to write, unfortunately.

* * *

><p>NightStalker <em>hurt<em>. Her yellow optics onlined, static lacing the live-feed. Ratchet's face in her line of vision confused her, but with a groan she realized why she was in the med bay. Ratchet chuckled at her dismay, gently rubbing a servo over her sore helm.

"I see you're finally online, Night. You sure took your sweet time." He tried to remain lighthearted, but worry crept into his voice.

"Yeah, well, the rest of the leftover energy had to go somewhere other than my frame, so it apparently chose putting me in stasis so I could burn it off in stasis." She quirked an optic ridge in amusement, silently acknowledging his concern but letting him know that she was not in any pain from the battle.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Yes, 'Devil Medic.' My mi - er, processor is functioning just fine. My memories are transferred to memory files without a prob—_**CLANG**_—OW! _Primus_ medic! What was that for!?" Sitting up on the berth, she lifted a forepaw and rubbed her now-throbbing helm.

"You know what for: the new nickname: 'Devil Medic?' Really? But before we get off-topic again, lay down. Your first sync-up will be the hardest, and you shouldn't be in a position to injure yourself while linking. Now!" With a teasing glare, he playfully tossed another wrench and caught it, carefully eyeing her frame to watch for any hints of pain. The last part of his statement was said like the master of the domain he was - the CMO in his Medbay. She lay down obediently, warily watching to see what he would do.

Ratchet stepped forward, uncoiling a cord from his wrist port. Pulling up a Cybertronian-sized stool, he sat down and opened a port on her forepaw. He glanced up at her helm and made optic contact before his mind was pulled into her memory files from the battle.

* * *

><p><em>Ratchet was busy working on repairing Bee's crushed legs, while Mikaela and Sam ran with the AllSpark cube, hiding from Megatron. Jazz had met his painfully undeserved fate, torn in half-courtesy of Megatron. A blow to the head brought her back to her current battle. Rearing up with a roar, she opened her mouth and fired off an energy blast, knocking back the one they called Starscream. She opened her wing covers with a <em>shnik _and they snapped out to flare above her back. Jumping into the air, she screeched a universal challenge to __**fight**__. Snarling with rage, the Air Commander of Vos fired up his turbines and sprang into the air, transforming mid-leap._

_Surging into the air, she pumped her wings as hard as she could, trying to gain as much of a lead as possible, performing complex flips and twists as she evaded Screamer's volley of energy blasts. Under normal circumstances, her wings would be no match for a jet's turbines, but she had the home planet advantage, not to mention the element of surprise. She glanced behind her, seeing that her opponent was quickly gaining on her. Turning back to her current path, she pushed herself higher into the cloudless sky. Dodging another close shot, her mind raced to find an advantage. Unexpectedly, she remembered the unique abilities that she discovered, quite by accident a few years ago, and hadn't thought of using. Shadow Walking and Shadow Jumping**._

_Now focused on activating said abilities, she jerked harshly when the next blasts whizzed by. She feigned being hit and going limp, sloppily barrel-rolling a one-eighty and pulling her wings in close against her back for a steep nose-dive. In triumph, the Seeker gloated, ignoring that her descent was too calculated to be on accident. As she approached, he realized, with no time to move out of the way, that at that speed, her 'injured' body would collide head-on with him. At the last second, she barely dodged him, clipping his wing with a shoulder as her own gold-plated wings flared out again, intact and completely unharmed. Her ploy severely startled the Seeker that was trying to bring her down—so much so that his reflexive defense-shots went wild, missing her completely. Childishly, she stuck out her tongue at him and dodged another shot, roaring with laughter as he cursed at her._

_"Pit-spawned Primus-blasted femme! Stop running from your fate and face me like a true flier!"_

_"A true flier doesn't kill innocent grounders, no matter the species!"_

_"Fool! A true flier doesn't need to work with ground pounders!"_

_"No, __**you**_ _are the fool for putting yourself above others."_

* * *

><p><strong>"<strong>**_All life is important, no matter the species."_**

* * *

><p>"<em>Foolish femme! You will meet your Creator within the orn! Wait? Where did she go!?"<em>

_Starscream pulled up short and swiftly scanned the surrounding buildings and the air, thinking she may have used a cloaking device. _

_She watched from her hiding place in the shadows, and cackled evilly to herself. _Shadow Walking is so much fun, _she smirked to herself. _I just love how I can mess with my opponents.

_Having had enough of watching his blatant confusion and endured enough of his screeching for her to come out, she willed her body to slowly return to its physical form. Silently beating her wings, she gained altitude much slower than she would have liked, but still very quickly for being half intangible. Dark shadows roiling off her body like smoke, she silently hung in the air behind the irate Seeker. Allowing herself a moment of wicked anticipation, she lashed out towards Starscream's wing, just as he turned. Reflexively he fired off a blast right. At. Her. _**Heart**.

* * *

><p><em>Groaning and opening her eyes, she froze when her eyes didn't slide open like they should have - instead they <em>**turned on**_. Freezing for a moment to process this, she cleared her mind to help her better adjust to…whatever 'this' was. Her body no longer had the brute strength of rippling muscles like she was used to. Instead, it was more…well, more like a well-oiled machine. It hummed with energy and anticipation as if just _daring _her to test it's limits. Taking a breath and shivering at the feeling, she focused on those two functions, as they both felt vastly different from what she was used to. Instead of the air rushing straight into her lungs, it seemed to circle around her body and then out again. Focusing on that shiver,'she turned her head and tensed the same muscles in her shoulders and watched in awe as the metal plates covering her body lifted slightly, quivered lightly, then settled back down. Satisfied with her analysis, she looked around to take in the scene around her. She was laying in a good-sized, distinctly _NightStalker-shaped _crater, and dust was still falling all around her from the recent impact._

_A string of words across the bottom of her vision startled her and she took a moment to read what it said. _**Activate weapons system: Yes or No?** _Hesitating a moment, she thought, _Yes. _The line blinked then a new line appeared underneath that. _**Weapons systems activated. Engage opponent Starscream? Yes or No.** Yes. **Opponent engaged.** _With whirring and clicking sounds, she both heard and felt her weapons powering up. Pushing up with her forelegs, she looked around. The Screaming One was fighting with Ironhide and her Alpha was fighting with one she had never seen before. The Growler and her Alpha were locked in close combat, and Growler had the upper paw. _

_The boy that held the Call was standing behind a building near her Alpha but was too scared to assist him. _Not that he could, with his size, _she thought. Just then, her Alpha was knocked to the earth. As he struggled to rise he yelled for Sam to put the 'Allspark' in his Spark, but the boy was reluctant to do so. Mind racing, she finally comprehended what her Alpha was telling him to do. He would sacrifice himself, so his people and the humans would live. Unwilling to lose her kind Alpha, she roared to bring Sam's attention to her. _

"_Boy...put it in mine." She called to him, "My body can handle the force better than theirs can." Seeing the boy's hesitation, she crouched down and subconsciously sent the command to open her chestplates and spark chamber to make his choice easier. "Do it!" He glanced at Prime, then back at her. Making his decision, he ran towards her. As she expected, her Alpha protested, and The Growler, well...growled. Very loudly. Sam reached her, and with one movement, the Cube made contact with her Spark. _

_She reared up on her hind legs, her spark chamber and chestplates closing automatically. Energy surged throughout her frame, causing her muscles to spasm and her claws to unsheathe of their own accord. Her mind filled with images she could not understand and memories that were not hers. _

_The boy ran to Ironhide who promptly picked him up and carefully backed away from her writhing frame. Her optics turned an unseeing white and energy audibly hummed around her, pushing Prime, Ironhide, and their allies back, as if it were creating a force field of sorts. Her head jerked back, maw gaping in a silent roar. _

_The humming intensified to a near-painful level, and her frame suddenly radiated a powerful presence that was distinctly not hers. Her optics turned a hungry, gleaming gold - seeming impossibly full of wisdom. They were not of an Autobot or a Decepticon. These eyes...they belonged to one of Cybertron's top predator species - the bloodthirsty Dracons. _

_Jaws snapped shut and her head smoothly lowered. Her muscles stopped convulsing and her front legs lightly touched the ground. She stood gracefully and began to slowly, almost playfully, circle Megatron. Smoldering golden eyes remained on Megatron, headless of the debris at her feet, yet still effortlessly avoiding it all with the natural expertise of a long-time predator. Never once did she falter, never once did she break her show of dominance and as the words slipped off her tongue, dipped in burning malice and drenched in liquid fury, they sparked terror in all who heard them._

"_You thought you could get away with killing a leader, did you?" She purred dangerously, tauntingly, abruptly stopping her circling and facing Megatron head-on. Curling her lip in haughty disgust, she sat back on her haunches, lethal presence never wavering. "However, as my Alpha's personal guard, it falls to _me _to take care of a threat. Anyone who challenges him, I take care of. Anyone he challenges, I take care of. Any _perceived _challenge, I take care of. You have challenged my Alpha... therefore it is my turn to fight." _

_Red eyes widening, he leveled his blaster at her and roared, "You think you can kill _me_? You - a mere _**beast** _- kill me? A gladiator from the Arenas of Kaon!? You are a bigger fool than Prime!"_

_She dipped her head, acknowledging his angry challenge. "Very well. I gave you your chance to flee. You ignored it. Let me tell you, you _really _should have _**run**!" _Her words turned into a vicious roar, eyes flashing menacingly, and she lunged for the Growler. He leapt back, firing his cannon at her. She smoothly dodged, rolling back up into a crouch with wings tucked tightly into her sides, the blast crackling inches above her head in a close miss. With a snarl, she turned and fired a blast at Megatron's chest, too close for him to dodge. _

_Simultaneously, he returned the blast and both hit home. Hers destroyed his spark chamber while his crushed her chestplates, rupturing internals. They were each knocked backward from the force of the blasts, but though Megatron fell the battered earth, she regained her balance, only topple over as well, not two kliks later. _

* * *

><p>Ratchet unsynced from NightStalker's processor, unplugged from her arm, and stepped back from her frame. She raised her head slowly, neck plates sliding over one another with a soft rasp.<p>

"Did my memories move alright?" Her hesitant question pulled him from his thoughts and his reply was gruff enough to make up for his delay.

"Of course. Do you doubt my methods?"

She dipped her head to hide her smile and replied, "Of course not. I was just curious."

He huffed, hiding his amusement. Ratchet laid a surprisingly gentle servo on her helm for a moment, then turned gruff again. "Don't even _think_ about leaving the Med-Bay without my permission. The others know you aren't permitted out yet and are under strict orders to bring you back if they find you out. Are we clear?"

Night dropped her head back down to her paws, grumbling under her breath.

"What was that?" Ratchet fought to keep the smile from his question.

"I said 'fine, Ratchet. If you insist.'"

"Good. I may be old, but I'm not so old I mishear irritated patients." With an unseen smirk , Ratchet turned from his patient and walked to his office to further his notes on her recovery.

-End Chapter-

_* Just a reminder, vertical is straight up._

_** Shadow Walking and Shadow Jumping._

_1. Shadow Walking is existing within the shadows, and nearly completely undetectable._

_2. Shadow Jumping is almost the same as Shadow Walking, only the being casts a shadow when Jumping from shadow to shadow. It is somewhat like teleporting, but it's not from one place to the next. Imagine the shadows described above as water, they exist everywhere, just waiting to take form, so when she uses this ability, it's like she's hidden within a shadow and she can see what's going on around her, but they can't see her. _


End file.
